My co-author, Marilyn Yalom, and I will be speaking at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on Thursday, January 14. I'm really excited, because this time, Marilyn and I will be "in conversation with" the sparkling Ellen Sussman, author most recently of A Wedding in Provence. JCCSF is such a wonderful venue -- we are in illustrious speaker-company. And what a dedicated production staff -- there are lots of people paying attention to all the technical orchestration --

The Social Sex is launched. Fun book tour winding down. Whew! On to next projects. 1) Refined (LOTS more to come) 2) Rewrite of my historical novel, Sempervirens, to be renamed, Stumptown Waltz. Nevertheless, I'll never forget that laden word, Sempervirens. It was jogged loose from the corner-of-mind where I had temporarily stashed it by this VERY nerdy little "Rangsta" YouTube that actually taught me several things. It's worth a listen (once). "Rangsta" Rap: Marbled Murrelet

Okay, I'm not a New Yorker, and never will be. But I do take to heart the conversational "editing" of our phenomenal Harper Collins editor, Gail Collins. Over yummy whitefish at Russ & Daughters, Gail informed me that in NYC, one knows to say "Ninety-second Street Y." I committed the Silicon-Valleyish faux pas of calling the venerable venue "Ninety-two Y." Now I know, but remain unabashedly delighted to recall the great fun my co-author, Marilyn Yalom, and I had presenting Th

But nothing institutional about our treatment at Mrs. Dalloway's, a fine, comfortable shrine to the printed page on College Avenue. Sydney, Jackie, and Chelsea kept pace with their brisk trade while accommodating the "special treatment" we requested to show the slides that help my co-author and I condense the 2500 years covered in The Social Sex: A History of Female Friendship into 45 minutes of talk. So many good, supportive friends appeared. Those quick waves, smiles, and

George at Books Inc., how could you be any nicer? You gave Team Social Sex a beautiful set up, all with such good humor and accommodation. Thank you! What a brilliant bookstore, too. My fingers are itching to start turing pages on my sweet author's gift -- I chose the first of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels. After all, it's all about friendship! Dear, dear, long-time friends came long ways to support me. Real kindness, which is at the heart of real friendship. Thank you a

The big day for this two+-year project is at hand. The Social Sex: A History of Female Friendship (Harper Perennial) goes on-sale Tuesday, September 22. Yipee! My co-author Marilyn Yalom and I will be launching our book on Thursday, Sep. 24, 7:30 at Kepler's in Menlo Park. I'd love to see you there. If you can come, click on the link to RSVP to Kepler's. (The event is free.) It will mean so much to have my friends there helping to celebrate this publication -- a milestone in

A few evenings ago, I attended a celebration hosted by the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford in honor of my dear friend, and esteemed co-author, Marilyn Yalom. Late afternoon sunlight haloed the sequoia trees in the background, and made the grass and the wine glasses sparkle. The large crowd of Marilyn-admirers smiled and applauded in agreement when speakers praised her charm, incisiveness, soaring intelligence, kindness, and effectiveness as a leader at the I